Fundamentals of Mechanical Vibrations 4600:431

Homework 05
Due: n/a

Name:
Please denote your answers clearly, i.e., box in, star, etc., and write neatly. There are no
points for small, messy, unreadable work. . . please use lots of paper.

References
[1] Balachandran, B., and Magrab, E. B., 2004, Vibrations, Brooks/ColeThomson.
Problem 1: [1, 0418]
A quarter-car model of a heavy vehicle is
shown in the figure. This vehicle is traveling with a constant speed v on a flat road,
when it hits a bump, producing an initial displacement of 0.2m and an initial velocity of of
0.1m/s at the base of the system (so that x(0)
and x(0)

are specified). If the mass of the vehicle is 5000kg, the stiffness k is 2800kN/m,
and the damping coefficient c is 18kN/(m/s),
determine the displacement response of this
system and discuss when the system returns
to its equilibrium position.

Solution:
We identify the directions as shown in the figure and assume that x describes the
displacement of the system with respect to static equilibrium, so that the force due to
gravity is eliminated from the equations of motion. (The bump displaces the car from
static equilibrium and we are interested when the system returns to the equilibrium
position.)
The acceleration of the car is aG = x
. A free-body

diagram for this system is shown to the right, so that

linear momentum balance yields a standard spring-massdamper system
X
F = (k x c x)
= m x
= m aG .

This can be rewritten as

k x

mx
+ c x + k x = 0,

c x

x(0) = x0 , x(0)

= x 0 .

For this system the natural frequency and damping ratio become
r
c
k
= 23.66rad/s,
=
n =
= 0.076.
m
2 km
Therefore the system is underdamped, so that d = n

1 2 = 23.60, and the

response can be written as

x(t)



x 0 + n x0
sin(d t) ,
x0 cos(d t) +
= e
d


= e1.8 t 0.2 cos(23.60 t) + 0.019 sin(23.60 t) m,


= 0.20 e1.8 t cos 23.60 t 0.095 m.
n t

From the final polar form of the solution

we can view the response as a damped harmonic function, so that as time increases the
system oscillates about the equilibrium position. The system first returns to equilibrium at time t = 0.071s, when the argument
of the cos term is /2.

0.250

0.125
x(t)
0.000

0.125

0.250
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Problem 2: [1, 0420]

In the system shown, mass m2 is resting on
mass m1 , which is supported by a spring of
stiffness k. The mass m1 is 1kg, the mass m2
is 0.5kg, and the stiffness k is 1kN/m.

g
m2

a) If the spring is pushed down 15mm below the systems static equilibrium position and released, determine if the
mass m2 will ever lose contact during
the subsequent motion.

m1
x
k

b) For what range of initial displacements

will mass m2 never lose contact with
m1 during the response?
Solution:
We define the directions as shown in the figure. In addition, since the contact force
between the two masses certainly depends on the weight of the blocks, we choose to
measure the displacement from the unstretched position of the spring.

We construct a free-body diagram on each block as shown

in the figure. When the two blocks are in contact, their
displacements are identical and the value of T , the amplitude of the contact force, must be positive. When T = 0
contact is lost between the two blocks and their kinematics are no longer identical. Applying linear momentum
balance on each mass (assuming contact) provides
X
F 1 = (T m1 g k x) = m1 x
= m1 aG1 ,

X
F 2 = (T m2 g) = m2 x
= m2 aG2 .

m2 g

T
T
m1 g

Eliminating the unknown tension T , the equation of motion for the blocks when in contact becomes

k x

(m1 + m2 ) x
+ k x = (m1 + m2 ) g.
The system is released from rest with an initial displacement x(0) = (m1 +m2 ) g/k+,
where = 0.015 m measures the initial displacement from static equilibrium. Therefore the general solution can be written as
!
r
(m1 + m2 ) g
k
x(t) =
t .
+ cos
k
m1 + m2
Returning to linear momentum balance applied to m2 , we can solve for T as
(
!
)
r
k
k
cos
t +g .
T (t) = m2 (
x(t) + g) = m2
m1 + m2
m1 + m2
Finally, the value of T is always positive, and the blocks remain in contact, provided
the amplitude of the cos term is less than g, that is


 k 


 m1 + m2  g.

a) For the numerical values given in the problem statement, the above inequality is not
satisfied


 k 
2
2


 m1 + m2  = 10.00m/s 9.81m/s = g,
so that the two blocks will lose contact at some point during the subsequent motion.

b) The range on initial displacements can be found by evaluating the above inequality
at its two limiting values, identified as 1 and 2


(m1 + m2 ) g
1 k
= g,

1 =
,
+
m1 + m2
k


2 k
(m1 + m2 ) g

= g,

2 =
.
m1 + m2
k
Therefore the two blocks remain in contact provided
2 =

(m1 + m2 ) g
(m1 + m2 ) g

= 1 ,
k
k
3

which for these parameter values implies that 0.0147m 0.0147m. Remember,
these values are relative to the static equilibrium position at xeq = 0.0147 m.
Problem 3:
For the mechanical system shown to the
right, the uniform rigid bar has mass m and
pinned at point O. For this system:

a) find the equations of motion;

b) Identify the damping ratio and natural

frequency in terms of the parameters
m, c, k, and .

Assume that in the horizontal position the

system is in static equilibrium and that all
angles remain small.

O
2m
x
c

Solution:
a) In addition to the coordinate identified in the original figure, we also define x and y
as the displacement of the block and the compression of the spring respectively. The
directions and are defined as shown in the figure.
In terms of the identified coordinates, the
angular acceleration of the bar and the

linear acceleration of the block aG are

= k,
aG = x
,

k y

while the coordinates are related as

x = ,
2

3
y=
.
4

FR

A free body diagram for this system is

shown to the right. Note that the tension in
the cable between the bar and the block is
unknown and represented with T while the
reaction force F R is included, although both
its magnitude and direction are unspecified.

c x

The equations of motion for this system can be obtained with linear momentum balance
applied to the block and angular momentum balance about O on the bar. These can
be written as


X
,
F = m aG T c x = 2 m x



X
m 2
3

k =
k.
M O = I O T (k y)
2
4
3

Solving the first equation for T and substituting into the second equation yields
(2 m x
+ c x)

3
m 2

.
(k y)
=
2
4
3

Finally, using the coordinate relations we can eliminate x and y so that the equation of
motion can be written as
5 m 2 c 2 9 k 2
+
+
= 0.
6
4
16
b) In the above equation the equivalent mass, damping, and stiffness are
meq =

5 m 2
,
6

beq =

c 2
,
4

keq =

9 k 2
.
16

From these the damping ratio and natural frequency are

2

c
c
beq
,
= q 4
=
= p
2
2
k 5m
2 keq meq
30 k m
2 9 16
6
s
s
r
9 k 2
keq
27 k
16
n =
=
.
2 =
5
m

meq
40 m
6

Notice that the damping ratio and natural frequency are actually independent of the
length of the rod.
Problem 4:
In the figure, the disk has mass m, radius r,
2
and moment of inertia IG = mr
about the
2
mass center G and is assumed to roll without
slip. The identified coordinate measures
the rotation of the disk with respect to the
equilibrium position. Find the equations of
motion for this system.

x
z

G
(m, r)

k
C

Solution:
a) In addition to , the rotation of the disk, we also identify the coordinates x and z, the
displacement of the center of the disk and across the upper spring respectively.

These additional coordinates are related to as

x = r ,

k z

z = 2 r = 2 x.

m g

Also, the linear and angular acceleration of the disk

can be written as
aG = x ,

(k x + c x)

D = k.

fr

An appropriate free-body diagram is shown to the

right. Because the disk is assumed to roll without
slip, we can apply angular momentum balance about
the contact point C, so that
X

MC



(2 r) (k z) + r (k x + c x)
k

=
=

I C D ,
 2 
3mr
k.
2

Eliminating the coordinates x and z, we can write the equation of motion in terms of
as


3 m r2
+ (c r2 ) + (5 k r2 ) = 0.
2
Problem 5:
The block shown to the right is suspended by
a pulley system with an elastic cable. If the
pulleys are assumed massless, find the equation of motion for the response of the block
and the natural frequency for the system.

r
2

k
z

w
r
3r
4

x
m

Solution:
We identify the standard direction, together with the plethora of coordinates as shown
in the figure. Notice that if the disks possessed mass, this would be a three degree-offreedom system. However, with massless pulleys this reduces to a one degree-of-freedom
system, and the acceleration of the block is given as
x . We describe the radius of
the inner hub of the lower pulley as r, with = 3/4.
6

Of the eight coordinates identified, we find five constraint equations that can be determined by way of
the velocities of the five points shown to the right.
For example,

so that w = ur . Likewise, based on the velocities

of G and B in terms of C, we find that
x = w + ,

vG = vA + D1 rG/A ,

(r ) = (u + r )
,
w = u + ( k)

B
C

y = w + r .

Also, using the velocity of G in terms of the spring

displacement
vG =

w =

vP + vG/P ,
r
r
s w = + s.
2
2

In addition, using B we find that y = 2r + z. The remaining constraint equations

actually arise from the equations of motion for the massless pulleys.
Free body diagrams for this system are shown
to the right, and momentum balance applied
to this system yields
P
Pulley 1:
M O = 0,


kr
kr
= 0,
s
z k
2
2
P
Pulley 2:
M C = 0,
= 0,
(k r u + k r z T ) k
P
Pulley 2:
F = 0,
(k u + k s + k z T ) = 0,
P
Block:
F = m aG ,

(T ) = m x
.

FR

k u

k s
k s

k z

So with the introduction of the unknown tension in the cable connecting the block and
the lower pulley, we have nine equations and
nine unknownsfour equations from momentum balance and five from the coordinate relations.

From these equations we first eliminate , , and s to yield

x = (1 + ) w u,

k u + k z T = 0,

y = 2 w u,
3 w = 2 z + u,

k u + 2 k z T = 0,
T = m x

Then, eliminating u the tension can be written in terms of x as

T = 3kw =
7

k z

3k
x.
1 + 2 2

Finally the equation of motion in terms of the displacement of the block becomes


3k
x = 0.
mx
+
1 + 2 2
With = 3/4, this reduces to
mx
+

24 k
17

x = 0.